Method of display scrolling along a timebase and an apparatus for performing the method

ABSTRACT

This invention has a scroll means for displaying GUI operation members consisting of calendar information on the computer screen, and moving the screen display field to a date position containing information corresponding to the date of the operated GUI operation member upon operation of one of the GUI operation members. The user can very easily see the information compared to a conventional scroll bar display, and can quickly observe corresponding information by only operating the GUI operation member of his or her desired date.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. [Field of the Invention]

[0002] The present invention relates to a scroll display method on atime axis, a scroll display control apparatus, and a storage medium and,for example, to a technique for moving the screen display field ofinformation, which is formed along the time axis, along the time axis ona planning chart used in, e.g., scheduling on a computer.

[0003] 2. [Description of the Related Art]

[0004] Conventionally, various techniques for displaying planning chartsused in, e.g., scheduling on the display screen of a computer andcontrolling schedules on the computer have been proposed. As an exampleof a planning chart, a bar chart, a so-called Gantt chart, which is usedin production planning, control, and the like, and depicts jobs,experiments, or the like planned or done in relation to time, is known.

[0005] When such Gantt chart is displayed on the entire computer screenor on a window in the screen, all scheduled items on the time axiscannot often be displayed. In such case, a GUI operation member called ascroll bar is displayed. By operating this scroll bar, informationwithin the screen or window can be scrolled vertically or horizontally.

[0006] For example, as shown in FIG. 1, only a schedule for one day isdisplayed on the display screen, and when a schedule for another day isto be input or checked, the user can move the display field to the rightor left by clicking a right or left scroll button 41 b or 41 a of ascroll bar 41. In this case, upon operation of the left scroll button 41a, a schedule of the previous day is displayed on the screen, and uponoperation of the right scroll button 41 b, a schedule of the next day isdisplayed. By dragging a scroll box 41 c to the right or left, thedisplay field can be moved.

[0007] However, in the conventional technique which uses theaforementioned scroll bar 41 as a means for moving (scrolling) thedisplay field along the time axis in association with information formedalong the time axis such as a Gantt chart, scroll operability upondisplaying information for a desired day on the screen is very poor.

[0008] More specifically, when the right or left scroll button 41 b or41 a is used, the screen is scrolled once per clicking, and the scrollspeed is low. When the display field is to be moved skipping many days,a long time is required. By holding down the right or left scrollbuttons 41 b or 41 a, the same effect as continuous clicking can beobtained, but such operation is by no means convenient.

[0009] By contrast, when the scroll box 41 c is used, the display fieldcan be quickly moved to information of a schedule part corresponding tothe dropped position of the scroll box 41 c on the scroll bar 41.However, in order to display a schedule for a desired day on the screen,the user experiences difficulty in determining the dropping position ofthe scroll box 41 c. As a consequence, the user must gradually move thedisplay field using the right or left scroll button 41 b or 41 a, or thescroll box 41 c to adjust the display position while confirming thescreen.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] It is an object of the present invention to improve scrolloperability upon displaying information for a desired interval of timewhen a display field is scrolled along the time axis for informationsuch as a Gantt chart on a computer.

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, a scroll display method ona time axis according to the present invention, comprises the steps of:displaying GUI operation members consisting of calendar information onthe screen; and moving the screen display field along the time axis todisplay at least information corresponding to a date indicated by theoperated GUI operation member on the screen upon operation of one of theGUI operation members.

[0012] Note that the GUI operation members may be displayed on thescreen together with information to be displayed on the screen displayfield.

[0013] The GUI operation members may be a plurality of day buttons eachof which is assigned to one day, a plurality of month buttons each ofwhich is assigned to one month, or a plurality of year buttons each ofwhich is assigned to one year.

[0014] The information displayed on the screen display field may beschedule information for scheduling, the method may have a mode fordisplaying the schedule information in units of days, a mode fordisplaying the schedule information in units of months, and a mode fordisplaying the schedule information in units of years, and the GUIoperation members may be switched to a plurality of day buttons each ofwhich is assigned to one day, a plurality of month buttons each of whichis assigned to one month, or a plurality of year buttons each of whichis assigned to one year in correspondence with one of the modesselected.

[0015] In another aspect of the present invention, the informationdisplayed on the screen display field is time information forscheduling, the method has a mode for displaying one unit schedule ofthe time information, and a mode for simultaneously displaying aplurality of unit schedules, and when the mode for simultaneouslydisplaying the plurality of unit schedules is selected, scrolling ismade to move and display a plurality of unit schedules of the timeinformation including a date indicated by the operated GUI operationmember within the screen display field.

[0016] In still another aspect of the present invention, a GUI operationmember consisting of a scroll bar is displayed in the vicinity of theGUI operation members consisting of the calendar information, and whenthe scroll bar is operated, the screen display field is moved along thetime axis to display information of a date corresponding to a positionof a scroll box that forms the scroll bar on the screen.

[0017] A scroll display control apparatus on the time axis according tothe present invention is a scroll display control apparatus for moving ascreen display field of information along a time axis, which isdisplayed on a screen, along the time axis, comprising GUI operationmembers consisting of calendar information displayed on the screen, andscroll means for moving the screen display field along the time axis todisplay at least information corresponding to a date indicated by theoperated GUI operation member on the screen upon operation of one of theGUI operation members.

[0018] The GUI operation members may be a plurality of day buttons eachof which is assigned to one day, a plurality of month buttons each ofwhich is assigned to one month, or a plurality of year buttons each ofwhich is assigned to one year.

[0019] In another aspect of the present invention, the informationdisplayed on the screen display field is schedule information forscheduling, and the apparatus further comprises mode selection means forselecting one of a mode for displaying the schedule information in unitsof days, a mode for displaying the schedule information in units ofmonths, and a mode for displaying the schedule information in units ofyears, and GUI switching means for switching the GUI operation membersto a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day, aplurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month, or aplurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year incorrespondence with one of the modes selected.

[0020] In still another aspect of the present invention, the informationdisplayed on the screen display field is time information forscheduling, the apparatus further comprises mode selection means forselecting one of a mode for displaying one unit schedule of the timeinformation, and a mode for simultaneously displaying a plurality ofunit schedules, and when the mode for simultaneously displaying theplurality of unit schedules is selected, the scroll means scrolls tomove and display a plurality of unit schedules of the time informationincluding a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member withinthe screen display field.

[0021] In still another aspect of the present invention, a scroll buttonis used together with the day, month, or year buttons.

[0022] In still another aspect of the present invention, a GUI operationmember consisting of a scroll bar is displayed in the vicinity of theGUI operation members consisting of the calendar information, and whenthe scroll bar is operated, the scroll means moves the screen displayfield along the time axis to display information of a date correspondingto a position of a scroll box that forms the scroll bar on the screen.

[0023] In still another aspect of the present invention, the apparatusfurther comprises first storage means for storing schedule informationin units of years, months, and days for scheduling, second storage meansfor storing some pieces of schedule information read out from the firststorage means, and read-out control means for, upon switching the modes,controlling to store some pieces of schedule information required forthe selected mode from the first storage means to the second storagemeans, and when one of the GUI operation members is operated, the scrollmeans reads out information corresponding to a date indicated by theoperated GUI operation member from the second storage means and displaysthe readout information on the screen.

[0024] A computer-readable storage medium according to the presentinvention records a program for making a computer implement a functionof displaying GUI operation members consisting of calendar informationdisplayed on a screen which can be scrolled to move a screen displayfield of information along a time axis, along the time axis, and movingthe screen display field along the time axis to display at leastinformation corresponding to a date indicated by the operated GUIoperation member on the screen upon operation of one of the GUIoperation members.

[0025] Note that the GUI operation members may be a plurality of daybuttons each of which is assigned to one day, a plurality of monthbuttons each of which is assigned to one month, or a plurality of yearbuttons each of which is assigned to one year.

[0026] In another aspect of the present invention, the informationdisplayed on the screen display field is schedule information forscheduling, and the medium further records a program for making thecomputer implement a function, which has mode selection means forselecting one of a mode for displaying the schedule information in unitsof days, a mode for displaying the schedule information in units ofmonths, and a mode for displaying the schedule information in units ofyears, and which switches the GUI operation members to a plurality ofday buttons each of which is assigned to one day, a plurality of monthbuttons each of which is assigned to one month, or a plurality of yearbuttons each of which is assigned to one year in correspondence with oneof the modes selected.

[0027] In still another aspect of the present invention, the mediumfurther records a program for making the computer implement a functionof displaying a GUI operation member consisting of a scroll bar in thevicinity of the GUI operation members consisting of the calendarinformation, and moving the screen display field along the time axis todisplay information of a date corresponding to a position of a scrollbox that forms the scroll bar on the screen upon operation of the scrollbar.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028]FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a conventional scroll displaymethod;

[0029]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the principal functionalarrangement of a computer which comprises a scroll display controlapparatus according to the present invention;

[0030]FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a scroll display method on a timeaxis according to the present invention, and shows a display example ona screen when a day mode and normal mode have been selected;

[0031]FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a scroll display method on a timeaxis according to the present invention, and shows a display example onthe screen when the day mode and a reduced-scale mode have beenselected;

[0032]FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a scroll display method on a timeaxis according to the present invention, and shows a display example onthe screen when a month mode and the normal mode have been selected;

[0033]FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a scroll display method on a timeaxis according to the present invention, and shows a display example onthe screen when a year mode and the normal mode have been selected;

[0034]FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a scroll display method on a timeaxis according to the present invention, and shows another displayexample on the screen when the day mode and normal mode have beenselected;

[0035]FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing hardware image of a computerwhich comprises a scroll display control apparatus according to thepresent invention;

[0036]FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a data storage example in afirst RAM shown in FIG. 8; and

[0037]FIGS. 10A to 10C are flow charts showing the operation of thecomputer shown in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] The preferred embodiment of the present invention will now bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the principal functionalarrangement of a computer which comprises a scroll display controlapparatus according to the present invention.

[0040] Referring to FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a screen of adisplay apparatus (to be referred to as a display screen hereinafter),within which a window 2 is displayed. Various kinds of information aredisplayed on this window 2. In this embodiment, information that can bedepicted along the time axis, e.g., a planning chart (e.g., a Ganttchart) used in various kinds of scheduling on the computer is displayed.

[0041] When such Gantt chart is displayed on the window 2, all pieces ofinformation cannot often be displayed at once within the window. Hence,GUI operation members 3 are displayed together with the window 2. Byoperating one of the GUI operation members 3, schedule information(screen display field) in the Gantt chart within the window 2 can bescrolled to the right or left along the time axis.

[0042] In this embodiment, the GUI operation members 3 include thoseconsisting of calendar information. For example, in a day mode (to bedescribed in detail later), as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 in detail, the GUIoperation members 3 include a plurality of day buttons 3 a, right andleft scroll buttons 3 c and 3 b, a scroll bar 3 d, and scroll buttons 3e and 3 f for switching information to be displayed to a schedule forthe last or next month. In this example, the day buttons 3 a aredisplayed for 30 days from the start day to be displayed. The start dayto be displayed can be arbitrarily set.

[0043] This embodiment has, as a mode upon displaying scheduleinformation of the Gantt chart on the window 2, a day mode fordisplaying information in units of days, a month mode for displayinginformation in units of months, and a year mode for displayinginformation in units of years. Furthermore, the day mode is classifiedinto a normal mode for displaying schedule information for a day, and areduced-scale mode for displaying information for a plurality of days atthe same time. The month and year modes are also classified into thenormal and reduced-scale modes. These modes can be selected by a modeselection means 7 shown in FIG. 2.

[0044] In the example in FIG. 3, the day mode for displaying scheduleinformation in units of days, and the normal mode for displayingschedule information for a day have been selected. In the example inFIG. 4, the day mode has been selected as in FIG. 3, but thereduced-scale mode for displaying schedule information for a pluralityof days (five days in this example) at the same time has been selectedin place of the normal mode.

[0045] The mode selection means 7 may be implemented by hardware buttonsand the like provided to the computer, or GUI operation membersdisplayed on the display screen 1. FIGS. 3 and 4 exemplify a casewherein the mode selection means 7 is implemented by GUI operationmembers.

[0046] More specifically, as a GUI button for selecting one of thenormal and reduced-scale modes, a reduced-scale button 7 a fordisplaying schedule information by changing, e.g., the reduction scaleon the time axis is provided. By pressing this reduced-scale button 7 a,the normal mode and reduced-scale mode are toggled. Also, an arbitraryitem may be selected by clicking a mouse button from a popup menu thatshows a list of one day/five days/one week, and the like.

[0047] As GUI buttons for selecting one of the year, month, and daymodes, a year mode button 7 b, month mode button 7 c, and day modebutton 7 d are provided. Of these three buttons, a mode corresponding tothe pressed button is set. Note that the year, month, and day modes maybe toggled every time one button is pressed, like the reduced-scalebutton 7 a.

[0048] The contents of the mode selected by these buttons 7 a to 7 d aredisplayed as a guide 7 e. In the example in FIG. 3, “one day” isdisplayed there, i.e., it indicates that the day mode and normal modehave been selected. On the other hand, in the example in FIG. 4, “fivedays” is displayed there, i.e., it indicates that the day mode andreduced-scale mode have been selected.

[0049]FIGS. 3 and 4 show display examples in the day mode, as describedabove. Display examples in the month and year modes are respectivelyshown in FIGS. 5 and 6 (both these examples are in the normal mode).Although not shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a bar schedule chart is displayedon the window 2 in practice like in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0050] In FIG. 5 that shows the display example in the month mode, aplurality of month buttons 3 g to each of which one operation member isassigned per month are displayed in place of the day buttons 3 adisplayed in the day mode. On the other hand, the scroll buttons 3 e and3 f displayed in the day mode serve as scroll buttons for switching theschedule to the one for the last or next year. Other GUI buttons are thesame as those in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0051] Also, in FIG. 6 that shows the display example in the year mode,a plurality of year buttons 3 h to each of which one operation member isassigned per year are displayed in place of the day buttons 3 adisplayed in the day mode. On the other hand, the scroll buttons 3 e and3 f which are displayed in the day or month mode are not displayed.Other GUI buttons are the same as those in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0052] Referring back to FIG. 2, reference numeral 4 denotes aninformation management means for managing schedule information of theGantt chart displayed on the window 2 in units of, e.g., years, months,and days. Reference numeral 5 denotes a display control means forcontrolling to display schedule information managed by the informationmanagement means 4 on the window 2. Reference numeral 6 denotes a scrollmeans which controls the display control means 5 to immediately move thescreen display field to a data position containing schedule informationcorresponding to the year, month, and day of the operated button, when agiven button of the GUI operation members 3 is operated.

[0053] More specifically, when the mode selection means 7 has selected amode for displaying schedule information for a day in units of days, andthe day button 3 a for the 14th is clicked on the screen shown in FIG.3, the scroll means 6 is informed of that operation. The scroll means 6directs the display control means 5 to move the screen display field toschedule information corresponding to the 14th. In response to thisdirection, the display control means 5 reads out schedule informationfor the 14th from the information management means 4, supplies thereadout information to the display apparatus, and displays theinformation on the window 2.

[0054] In this embodiment, since the right and left scroll buttons 3 cand 3 b are also displayed, a display can be gradually updated day byday. For example, when the left scroll button 3 b is clicked whileschedule information for the 14th is being displayed on the screen inFIG. 3, schedule information corresponding to the 13th is displayed;when the right scroll button 3 c is clicked in that state, scheduleinformation corresponding to the 15th is displayed.

[0055] When the scroll button 3 e or 3 f is clicked on the screen, thescroll means 6 is informed of that operation. The scroll means 6 directsto move the screen display field to schedule information for the last ornext month on the same day as that currently displayed. In response tothis direction, the display control means 5 reads out the correspondingschedule information for the last or next month from the informationmanagement means 4, supplies the readout information to the displayapparatus, and displays the information on the window 2.

[0056] For example, initially, e.g., immediately after the day modebutton 7 d has been pressed, schedule information of the current monthselected upon operation is displayed. At that time, when the day button3 a for the 14th is clicked, schedule information corresponding to the14th of the current month is read out from the information managementmeans 4, and is displayed on the window 2. Furthermore, when the scrollbutton 3 e is clicked in that state, schedule information correspondingto the 14th of the last month is read out from the informationmanagement means 4, and is displayed on the window 2.

[0057] When a mode for displaying schedule information for a pluralityof days in units of days is selected by the mode selection means 7, thescroll means 6 scrolls to move schedule information for a plurality ofdays including the day of the operated day button 3 a to fall within thescreen display field. For example, when the day button 3 a for the 14this clicked on the screen shown in FIG. 4, the scroll means 6 is informedof that operation. Upon reception of this information, the scroll means6 controls the display control means 5 to move the screen display fieldto display schedule information for five days including the 14th on thewindow 2.

[0058] In the example in FIG. 4, the plurality of day buttons 3 a aredivided in units of five days from the left end, and scheduleinformation for each divided unit is displayed on the window 2.According to this example, since the day button 3 a for the 14th isincluded within the unit from the 13th to 17th, schedule information forthe 13th to 17th is displayed on the window 2 upon operation of the daybutton 3 a for the 14th. That is, independently of the day buttons 3 afor the 13th and 17th to be pressed, the same display state is obtainedafter scrolling, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0059] Note that the display format upon displaying schedule informationin units of a plurality of days is not limited to such example shown inFIG. 4. For example, schedule information on the day of the operated daybutton 3 a may always be displayed at the center of the screen of thewindow 2. In such case, upon operation of the day button 3 a for the14th, schedule information for the 12th to 16th is read out from theinformation management means 4 and displayed.

[0060] When a mode for displaying schedule information for one month inunits of months has been selected by the mode selection means 7, if themonth button 3 g for April is clicked on the screen in FIG. 5, thescroll means 6 is informed of that operation. The scroll means 6 directsthe display control means 5 to move the screen display field to scheduleinformation corresponding to “April”. In response to this direction, thedisplay control means 5 reads out schedule information for “April”,supplies the readout information to the display apparatus, and displaysthe information on the window 2.

[0061] Furthermore, when the scroll button 3 e or 3 f is clicked in thatstate, schedule information corresponding to “April” of the last or nextyear is read out from the information management means 4, and isdisplayed on the window 2. Upon display in the month mode shown in FIG.5 as well, initially, e.g., immediately after the month mode button 7 chas been operated, schedule information for the current year uponoperation is displayed.

[0062] When a mode for displaying schedule information for one year inunits of years has been selected by the mode selection means 7, if theyear button 3 h for 1998 is clicked on the screen in FIG. 6, the scrollmeans 6 is informed of that operation. The scroll means 6 directs thedisplay control means 5 to move the screen display field to scheduleinformation corresponding to “1998”. In response to this direction, thedisplay control means 5 reads out schedule information for “1998” fromthe information management means 4, supplies the readout information tothe display apparatus, and displays the information on the window 2.

[0063] In this way, according to this embodiment, by operating the daybutton 3 a, month button 3 g, year button 3 h, or the like, scheduleinformation of the corresponding day, month, or year can be displayed onthe window 2. In addition, schedule information can be scrolled byoperating a scroll box 3 d ⁻¹ or a right or left scroll button 3 d ⁻³ or3 d ⁻² that form the scroll bar 3 d.

[0064] For example, on the display screen in FIG. 3, when the day button3 a for the 14th is clicked, schedule information for one daycorresponding to the 14th is displayed on the window 2, as describedabove. By contrast, when the scroll box 3 d ⁻¹ is dragged, scheduleinformation for a certain day can be displayed in the same manner asthat upon operation of the day button 3 a, and schedule informationacross two days can also be displayed.

[0065] More specifically, when the scroll box 3 _(d−1) is dragged to thecentral position between, e.g., the 14th and 15th, schedule informationfor the latter half (e.g., 19:00 to 7:00) of the 14th and scheduleinformation for the former half (e.g., 7:00 to 19:00) of the 15th aredisplayed in combination on the window 2. Such display can also beattained by slightly moving the scroll box 3 d ⁻¹ by clicking the rightor left scroll button 3 d ⁻³ or 3 d ⁻².

[0066] Upon creating a certain job schedule, the user must be aware ofthe fact that the job may be completed within one day or may continueover a plurality of days, or it may start from a late time of a certainday and end at a certain time of the next day. Upon planning or checkinga job that takes less than one day, the user need only operate thecorresponding day button 3 a. However, when a job takes more than oneday, the user can easily confirm the start and end times of the jobacross the days by operating the scroll bar 3 d.

[0067] When the scroll bar 3 d is operated on the display screen in themonth mode shown in FIG. 5 or in the year mode shown in FIG. 6, scheduleinformation across two months or years can be displayed on the window 2by coupling their latter and former halves.

[0068] In this manner, schedule information at the boundaries betweendays, months, or years can be very easily created or checked.

[0069] In the examples in FIGS. 3 and 4, information for 24 hours isdisplayed as schedule information for a day. Alternatively, as shown inFIG. 7, schedule information for hours shorter than 24 hours may bedisplayed. In the example shown in FIG. 7, schedule information foreight hours (7:00 to 15:00) is displayed. Depending on the contents of ajob to be scheduled, the time zone for the job may be limited inrelation to, e.g., the equipment operation time period.

[0070] For example, when the operation time period ranges from 7:00 to15:00, since a job schedule can be planned within that period, scheduleinformation for that period is managed by the information managementmeans 4, and is displayed on the window 2 via the display control means5. In such case, whether information for 24 hours or several hoursshorter than 24 hours is displayed may be switched by automaticallychecking schedule information managed in the information managementmeans 4 by the display control means 5, or the user may designate it bypreparing GUI buttons or menus for that.

[0071] The information management means 4, display control means 5, andscroll means 6 shown in FIG. 2 above are implemented by a microcomputersystem which comprises a CPU, ROM, RAM, hard disk, and the like (notshown), in practice. The work program of the CPU for attaining theabove-mentioned scrolling is stored in, e.g., the ROM. In this case, theROM that stores the work program constitutes a recording medium of thepresent invention.

[0072] Alternatively, the work program for the CPU may be stored in thehard disk. The work program can be externally supplied to this harddisk. In this case, the hard disk and a means for externally supplyingthe work program, e.g., a recording medium that stores the work program,constitute a recording medium of the present invention.

[0073] As a recording medium that stores the work program, for example,a floppy disk, optical disk, magnetooptical disk, CD-ROM, magnetic tape,nonvolatile memory card, and the like may be used in addition to theabove-mentioned ROM and hard disk.

[0074]FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing hardware image when the scrolldisplay control apparatus of this embodiment is implemented by themicrocomputer system. Note that buttons 3 a to 3 h, and 7 a to 7 dillustrated around a CPU 11 in FIG. 8 are GUI operation membersdisplayed on the display screen of a display unit 15 in practice, andare not hardware components in strict sense, but they are illustratedfor the purpose of easy understanding.

[0075] Referring to FIG. 8, the CPU 11 executes scroll display controldescribed above with the aid of the display screens shown in FIGS. 3 to7 in accordance with the work program stored in a ROM 12. In the scrolldisplay control, the CPU 11 outputs appropriate addresses to first andsecond RAMs 13 and 14 to read out schedule information stored in theseRAMs 13 and 14 to the display unit 15 in units of days, months, oryears.

[0076]FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing schedule information stored inthe first RAM 13. As shown in FIG. 9, the schedule information is storedin the first RAM 13 in units of years, months, and days. The CPU 11appropriately controls the address to be output in correspondence withthe current display mode selected by one of the mode selection buttons 7a to 7 d so as to read out schedule information from the first RAM 13 inunits of years, months, or days.

[0077] At this time, since the volume of information stored in the firstRAM 13 is very large, when the corresponding schedule information isread out to the display unit 15 by designating an appropriate address inthe first RAM 13 upon operation of one of the scroll display buttons 3 ato 3 h, much time is required from that access to read-out, resulting inslow scrolling.

[0078] To avoid such problem, in this embodiment, when one of thedisplay modes is selected upon operation of one of the mode selectionbuttons 7 a to 7 d, schedule information in an appropriate unitcorresponding to the selected display mode is read out from the firstRAM 13 to the second RAM 14 in advance. Note that the second RAM 14 hasa size much smaller than that of the first RAM 13. For example, thefirst RAM 13 may be constructed by a large-capacity hard disk or thelike, and the second RAM 14 may be constructed by a DRAM or the like.

[0079] Upon operation of one of the scroll display buttons 3 a to 3 h,the CPU 11 detects the day of the month, month, year, or the like of theoperated button, and reads out schedule information corresponding to thedetected contents from the second RAM 14 to the display unit 15. Withthis control, when a scroll instruction is actually issued, thecorresponding schedule information can be read out from the second RAM14 with a small size to the display unit 15, thus preventing slowscrolling.

[0080] For example, when the day mode is selected upon operation of theday mode button 7 d, the CPU 11 outputs an address for reading outschedule information for a month including the current date counted by acurrent date counter 11 a to the first RAM 13 to read out the scheduleinformation for that month to the second RAM 14 in advance. For example,if the date upon setting the day mode is October 2, 1998, scheduleinformation for the month of October in 1998 is read out onto the secondRAM 14.

[0081] After that, if the day button 3 a for the 14th is pressed, as hasbeen described above with reference to FIG. 3, the CPU 11 outputs anaddress for outputting schedule information for the 14th to the secondRAM 14. With this address, schedule information for the 14th of Octoberin 1998 is read out and is supplied to the display unit 15.

[0082] In the initial state, the display mode is set in the day mode andnormal mode, and schedule information on the current date indicated bythe current date counter 11 a is displayed on the window of the displayunit 15.

[0083] Also, as shown in FIG. 8, the CPU 11 comprises X, Y, and Zcounters 11 b, 11 c, and 11 d. These counters are used for displayingschedule information in units of a plurality of days, months, or yearsin the reduced-scale mode.

[0084] More specifically, in the examples shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, modesfor displaying schedule information for a day or five days are toggledevery time the reduced-scale button 7 a is pressed. By contrast, in theexample shown in FIG. 8, schedule information to be displayed at thesame time increases by one day every time the reduced-scale button 7 ais pressed. When schedule information for 10 days is displayed byrepetitively pressing the reduced-scale button 7 a, the display returnsto that for one day upon next operation of the reduced-scale button 7 a.The same applies to the month and year modes. At this time, the contentsof the counters 11 b, 11 c, and 11 d are counted up in correspondencewith operation of the reduced-scale button 7 a.

[0085] The operation of the scroll display control apparatus accordingto this embodiment with the arrangement shown in FIG. 8 will bedescribed in detail below with the aid of the flow charts in FIGS. 10Ato 10C. The flow chart shown in FIG. 10A starts operation when the powersupply of the computer is turned on or an application program isstarted. In the initial state, since the day mode and normal mode areset, schedule information for one month including the current dateindicated by the current date counter 11 a is output from the first RAM13 to the second RAM 14 in step S1.

[0086] It is checked in step S2 if the scroll button 3 e or 3 f has beenpressed, i.e., if a display of schedule information for the last or nextmonth is directed. If such button has been operated, scheduleinformation for the last or next month is output from the first RAM 13to the second RAM 14 in step S3. On the other hand, if the scroll button3 e or 3 f is not operated, the control skips step S3, and data loadedonto the second RAM 14 in step S1 is used.

[0087] In step S4, schedule information for the current date indicatedby the current date counter 11 a is read out from the second RAM 14 andis displayed on the display unit 15. If the processing in step S3 hasbeen done, schedule information on the same day in the last or nextmonth is displayed. Furthermore, it is checked in step S5 if any daybutton 3 a has been pressed. If a day button 3 a has been operated,schedule information for the day corresponding to the operated button isread out from the second RAM 14, and is displayed on the display unit 15in step S6.

[0088] On the other hand, if none of the day buttons 3 a are operated,it is checked in step S7 if the scroll bar 3 d has been operated. If thescroll bar 3 d has been operated, schedule information for a daycorresponding to the position of the moved scroll box 3 d ⁻¹ is read outfrom the second RAM 14 and is displayed on the display unit 15 in stepS8. On the other hand, if the scroll bar 3 d is not operated, it ischecked in step S9 if the reduced-scale button 7 a has been operated.

[0089] If the reduced-scale button 7 a has been operated, the value ofthe X counter 11 b for day of the month is incremented by 1 in step S10,and it is checked in step S11 if the sum of the counter value X and thecurrent day of the month is larger than “28”. This number “28” indicatesthe number of days of February having the smallest number of days in oneyear. If the sum of the counter value X and the current day of the monthexceeds this number of days, it indicates that schedule information fora plurality of days to be displayed is likely to include that for a dayor days of the next month.

[0090] Normally, in the day mode, the second RAM 14 stores only scheduleinformation for the current month. In such case, schedule informationfor the next month must be read out from the first RAM 13 to the secondRAM 14. For this purpose, if the sum of the counter value X and thecurrent day of the month is larger than “28”, the flow advances to stepS12 to output schedule information for the next month from the first RAM13 to the second RAM 14, thereby storing schedule information for twomonths in the second RAM 14. On the other hand, if the sum is smallerthan “28”, the control skips the processing in step S12, i.e., jumps tostep S13.

[0091] In step S13, schedule information for X days indicated by thecounter 11 b for day of the month starting from the current day of themonth indicated by the current date counter 11 a is read out from thesecond RAM 14 and is displayed on the display unit 15. After theprocessing in step S13, after the processing in step S6 or S8, or afterit is determined in step S9 that the reduced-scale button 7 a is notoperated, the flow advances to steps S14 and S15 to check if the monthor year mode button 7 c or 7 b has been operated. If none of the modebuttons are operated, the flow returns to step S2 to continue theprocessing in the day mode. If one of these mode buttons has beenoperated, the flow advances to the processing in FIG. 10B or 10C toexecute processing in the month or year mode.

[0092] If the month mode button 7 c has been pressed, scheduleinformation for a year including the current month indicated by thecurrent date counter 11 a is output from the first RAM 13 to the secondRAM 14 in step S16 in FIG. 10B. It is then checked in step S17 if thescroll button 3 e or 3 f has been pressed, i.e., if a display ofschedule information for the last or next year has been instructed. Ifthe scroll button 3 e or 3 f has been operated, the flow advances tostep S18 to output schedule information for the last or next year fromthe first RAM 13 to the second RAM 14.

[0093] On the other hand, if neither the scroll button 3 e nor 3 f isoperated, the control skips the processing in step S18, and data loadedonto the second RAM 14 in step S16 is used. In step S19, scheduleinformation for the current month indicated by the current date counter11 a is read out from the second RAM 14 and is displayed on the displayunit 15. In this case, if the processing in step S18 has been done,schedule information for the identical month in the last or next year isdisplayed.

[0094] Furthermore, it is checked in step S20 if any month button 3 ghas been pressed. If one of the month buttons 3 g has been pressed,schedule information for a month corresponding to the operated button isread out from the second RAM 14 and is displayed on the display unit 15in step S21. On the other hand, if none of the month buttons 3 g areoperated, it is checked in step S22 if the scroll bar 3 d has beenoperated. If the scroll bar 3 d has been operated, schedule informationfor a month corresponding to the position of the moved scroll box 3 d ⁻¹is read out from the second RAM 14 and is displayed on the display unit15 in step S23. If the scroll bar 3 d is not operated, it is alsochecked in step S24 if the reduced-scale button 7 a has been operated.

[0095] If the reduced-scale button 7 a has been operated, the value ofthe Y counter 11 c for months is incremented by 1 in step S25, and it ischecked in step S26 if the sum of the counter value Y and the currentmonth number is larger than “12”. This number “12” indicates the numberof months included in a year. If the sum of the counter value Y and thecurrent month number exceeds this number of months, it indicates thatschedule information for a plurality of months to be displayed includethat for a month or months in the next year.

[0096] Normally, in the month mode, the second RAM 14 stores onlyschedule information for the current year. In this case, scheduleinformation for the next year must be read out from the first RAM 13 tothe second RAM 14. For this purpose, if the sum of the counter value Yand the current month number is larger than “12”, the flow advances tostep S27 to output schedule information for the next year from the firstRAM 13 to the second RAM 14, thus storing schedule information for twoyears in the second RAM 14. On the other hand, if the sum is smallerthan “12”, the control skips the processing in step S27, i.e., jumps tostep S28.

[0097] In step S28, schedule information for Y months indicated by thecounter 11 c for the month number starting from the current monthindicated by the current date counter 11 a is read out from the secondRAM 14 and is displayed on the display unit 15. After the processing instep S28, after the processing in step S21 or S23, or after it isdetermined in step S24 that the reduced-scale button 7 a is notoperated, the flow advances to steps S29 and S30 to check if the day oryear mode button 7 d or 7 b has been operated. If neither of these modebuttons are operated, the flow returns to step S17 to continue theprocessing in the month mode. On the other hand, if one of these modebuttons has been operated, the flow advances to the processing shown inFIG. 10A or 10C to execute processing in the day or year mode.

[0098] If the year mode button 7 b has been pressed, scheduleinformation for a plurality of years (e.g., three years) from thecurrent year indicated by the current date counter 11 a is output fromthe first RAM 13 to the second RAM 14 in step S31 in FIG. 10C. In stepS32, schedule information for the current year indicated by the currentdate counter 11 a is read out from the second RAM 14 and is displayed onthe display unit 15.

[0099] Furthermore, it is checked in step S33 if one of the year buttons3 h has been operated. If one of the year buttons 3 h has been operated,schedule information for a year corresponding to the operated button isread out from the second RAM 14 and is displayed on the display unit 15in step S34. On the other hand, if none of the year buttons 3 h areoperated, it is checked in step S35 if the scroll bar 3 d has beenoperated. If the scroll bar 3 d has been operated, schedule informationfor a year corresponding to the position of the moved scroll box 3 d ⁻¹is read out from the second RAM 14 and is displayed on the display unit15 in step S36. If the scroll bar 3 d is not operated, it is thenchecked in step S37 if the reduced-scale button 7 a has been operated.

[0100] If the reduced-scale button 7 a has been operated, the value ofthe Z counter 11 d for years is incremented by 1 in step S38, and it ischecked in step S39 if the sum of the counter value Z and the currentyear number is larger than the sum of a value obtained by subtracting 1from a value indicating the number of years (three years in the initialstate) corresponding to the currently stored schedule information, andthe current year number. If this condition is satisfied, it indicatesthat schedule information for a plurality of years to be displayedincludes that for a year, which is not stored in the second RAM 14.

[0101] In such case, schedule information for that year must be read outfrom the first RAM 13 to the second RAM 14. The flow then advances tostep S40 to output schedule information for that year from the first RAM13 to the second RAM 14. On the other hand, if the condition is notsatisfied in step S39, the control skips the processing in step S40,i.e., jumps to step S41.

[0102] In step S41, schedule information for Z years indicated by thecounter 11 d for years starting from the current year indicated by thecurrent date counter 11 a is read out from the second RAM 14 and isdisplayed on the display unit 15. After the processing in step S41,after the processing in step S34 or S36, or after it is determined instep S37 that the reduced-scale button 7 a is not operated, the flowadvances to steps S42 and S43 to check if the day or month mode button 7d or 7 c has been operated. If neither of these buttons are operated,the flow returns to step S32 to continue the processing in the yearmode. On the other hand, if one of these mode buttons has been operated,the flow advances to the processing in FIG. 10A or 10B to executeprocessing in the day or month mode.

[0103] As has been described in detail above, according to thisembodiment, when information along the time axis such as a Gantt chartis processed on the computer, since the day, month, and year buttons 3a, 3 g, and 3 h are used as means for moving (scrolling) the screendisplay field along the time axis, the user can very easily see theinformation as compared to the conventional case using a scroll baralone, and can quickly observe information of the corresponding part byclicking the day, month, or year button 3 a, 3 g, or 3 h of a desiredday of the month, month, or year in the corresponding display mode.

[0104] Since the scroll bar 3 d is displayed in addition to these day,month, and year buttons 3 a, 3 g, and 3 h, and corresponding scheduleinformation can be displayed by moving the scroll box 3 d ⁻¹ to aposition between the neighboring buttons, schedule information acrosstwo days, months, or years can be displayed by coupling their latter andformer halves. In this way, visibility upon generating or checkingschedule information at boundaries between days, months, or years can beimproved.

[0105] In this case, since the day, month, or year buttons 3 a, 3 g, or3 h are displayed immediately above the scroll bar 3 d, the scroll box 3d ⁻¹, can be easily moved to a desired date position while observingindications on these buttons. Hence, the user can immediately observeschedule information for a desired day of the month, month, or year evenby using the scroll bar 3 d, and operability upon generating or checkingschedule information at boundaries between days, months, or years can beimproved.

[0106] In this embodiment, since the day, month, or year buttons 3 a, 3g, or 3 h, the scroll bar 3 d, and scroll buttons 3 e and 3 f aredisplayed on the display screen 1 of the computer together with scheduleinformation of a Gantt chart displayed on the window 2, the user neednot select another calendar information screen or window that displaysthese buttons alone to attain scrolling, resulting in easy operation.

[0107] In the above embodiment, in the examples shown in FIGS. 3 and 4,the plurality of day buttons 3 a are lined up from the left to right onthe screen beneath the window 2 for displaying information of the screendisplay field. However, the present invention is not limited to suchspecific display pattern (the same applies to the month and year buttons3 g and 3 h).

[0108] The Gantt chart has been exemplified as information to bedisplayed on the window 2. However, the present invention is not limitedto such specific information. That is, any other kinds of information tobe displayed along the time axis can be used in addition to scheduleinformation in other patterns.

[0109] In the above embodiment, as a mode for displaying scheduleinformation on the window 2, for example, the day mode includes the modefor displaying information in units of days (FIG. 3) and the mode fordisplaying information in units of five days (FIG. 4). Also, informationmay be displayed in other units. For example, information may bedisplayed in units of shifts or half days. In the month and year modesas well, schedule information may be displayed in various units.

[0110] When information is to be displayed in units of half days, theright and left scroll buttons 3 d ⁻³ and 3 d ⁻² can be used as effectivemeans for scrolling. More specifically, when scrolling of scheduleinformation for half a day is implemented by day buttons alone, thenumber of day buttons becomes large (that is, the number of day buttonsdoubles if buttons are displayed in units of half days). By contrast,when GUI operation members for scrolling use only the day buttons 3 ashown in FIG. 3, and the former and latter halves in a day are shiftedusing the right and left scroll buttons 3 d ⁻³ and 3 d ⁻², the number ofday buttons 3 a need not be increased.

What is claimed is:
 1. A scroll display method for moving a screen display field of information along a time axis, which is displayed on a screen, along the time axis, comprising the steps of: displaying GUI operation members consisting of calendar information on the screen; and moving the screen display field along the time axis to display at least information corresponding to a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member on the screen upon operation of one of said GUI operation members.
 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said GUI operation members are displayed on the screen together with information to be displayed on the screen display field.
 3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day.
 4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month.
 5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year.
 6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the information displayed on the screen display field is schedule information for scheduling, said method has a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of days, a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of months, and a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of years, and said GUI operation members are switched to a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day, a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month, or a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year in correspondence with one of the modes selected.
 7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the modes are switched by mode selection means.
 8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the information displayed on the screen display field is time information for scheduling, said method has a mode for displaying one unit schedule of the time information, and a mode for simultaneously displaying a plurality of unit schedules, and when the mode for simultaneously displaying the plurality of unit schedules is selected, scrolling is made to move and display a plurality of unit schedules of the time information including a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member within the screen display field.
 9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the modes are switched by mode switching means.
 10. A method according to claim 1, wherein a GUI operation member consisting of a scroll bar is displayed in the vicinity of said GUI operation members consisting of the calendar information, and when the scroll bar is operated, the screen display field is moved along the time axis to display information of a date corresponding to a position of a scroll box that forms the scroll bar on the screen.
 11. A scroll display control apparatus for moving a screen display field of information along a time axis, which is displayed on a screen, along the time axis, comprising: GUI operation members consisting of calendar information displayed on the screen; and scroll means for moving the screen display field along the time axis to display at least information corresponding to a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member on the screen upon operation of one of said GUI operation members.
 12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said GUI operation members are displayed on the screen together with information to be displayed on the screen display field.
 13. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day.
 14. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month.
 15. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year.
 16. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the information displayed on the screen display field is schedule information for scheduling, and said apparatus further comprises: mode selection means for selecting one of a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of days, a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of months, and a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of years; and GUI switching means for switching said GUI operation members to a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day, a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month, or a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year in correspondence with one of the modes selected.
 17. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the information displayed on the screen display field is time information for scheduling, said apparatus further comprises mode selection means for selecting one of a mode for displaying one unit schedule of the time information, and a mode for simultaneously displaying a plurality of unit schedules, and when the mode for simultaneously displaying the plurality of unit schedules is selected, said scroll means scrolls to move and display a plurality of unit schedules of the time information including a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member within the screen display field.
 18. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein a scroll button is used together with said day, month, or year buttons.
 19. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein a GUI operation member consisting of a scroll bar is displayed in the vicinity of said GUI operation members consisting of the calendar information, and when the scroll bar is operated, said scroll means moves the screen display field along the time axis to display information of a date corresponding to a position of a scroll box that forms the scroll bar on the screen.
 20. An apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising: first storage means for storing schedule information in units of years, months, and days for scheduling; second storage means for storing some pieces of schedule information read out from said first storage means; and read-out control means for, upon switching the modes, controlling to store some pieces of schedule information required for the selected mode from said first storage means to said second storage means, and wherein when one of said GUI operation members is operated, said scroll means reads out information corresponding to a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member from said second storage means and displays the readout information on the screen.
 21. A computer-readable storage medium recording a program for making a computer implement a function of displaying GUI operation members consisting of calendar information displayed on a screen which can be scrolled to move a screen display field of information along a time axis, along the time axis, and moving the screen display field along the time axis to display at least information corresponding to a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member on the screen upon operation of one of said GUI operation members.
 22. A medium according to claim 21, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day.
 23. A medium according to claim 21, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month.
 24. A medium according to claim 21, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year.
 25. A medium according to claim 21, wherein the information displayed on the screen display field is schedule information for scheduling, and said medium further records a program for making the computer implement a function, which has mode selection means for selecting one of a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of days, a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of months, and a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of years, and which switches said GUI operation members to a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day, a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month, or a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year in correspondence with one of the modes selected.
 26. A medium according to claim 21, further recording a program for making the computer implement a function of displaying a GUI operation member consisting of a scroll bar in the vicinity of said GUI operation members consisting of the calendar information, and moving the screen display field along the time axis to display information of a date corresponding to a position of a scroll box that forms the scroll bar on the screen upon operation of the scroll bar. 